Oil-separator.



J. R. TIMMINS.

OIL SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.22,1915.

1,27 9,61 1. Patented sept. 24,1918.

/ Y I f O'Tael/ G'loaiedl l J. R. TIIVIMINS.

OIL' SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION man MAR.22, 191s. 1,279,611 1 Patented Sept. 24, 1918.`

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.ceel uli re onoooooooooocuoocoooooo ooocoooboouoo ooooooood t m0 tureas to render JAMES n. TIMMINS, OF OKMULGEE, OKLAHOMA, AssIGNOaOFONE-FOURTH To ORLANDO sWAIN, OF OKMULGEE, OKLAHOMA.

OIL-SEPARATOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

as will enable others skilled inl the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same. v

The present invention relates to the treatment of oily materials, and inparticular to such Oily materials as containoil and water, in acondition in which they willnot readily separate. The process involvesthe treatment of the oily material, by passin the same through aconditioning device, o such a nathe oil and-water readily separable, bygravity. By 'this processl I may treat such materials as taining 13. S,asphaltic oil containing B. S, oil containing sulfur, and many lotheroils containing various impurities.

The present application is in-part a continuation of my copendingapplication Serial No. 747 ,503, led Feb. 10, 1913.4

The accompanying drawing shows a device suitable for. use in carryingout my process. In said drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of aparticular form of conditioning device of simple construction, saidfigure being partly in section to show its interior, the casing beingconnected up with4 the inlet and deliveryl pipes so as to show theoperation of the whole.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged 4central longitudinal section of one of thecylinders within said casing.

A Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-,3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of the tubular core of one of saidcylinders; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective detail of the upper endthereof with the gauze and retaining wire in place.

Fig. 6 is a horizontalsection through an amplified or reinforced form ofthe cylinder, intended for use where` the oil is quite dense, theimpurities considerable, or the pressure great.

It will be B. S., oil cony have A These "noted that while Ihave illus-vby the use of this or various other forms "of apparatus.

It is well known that oil-rening devices and stills are injured bydeposits which accumulate therein and are brought in bythe crudeoil`being refined Or`treated. VThese deposlts are in part solid sulfur,asphalt,

and other impurities, especially what is commonly called 13. S. and bymy improved process, these can be removed from the Oil before it isconducted to the refinery whereby the latter is relieved of theinjurious efect'off such impurities. But the oil at this time 1s in aheavy and thick state, dirty, gummy, and diiicult to treat, and ifhandled by a process of gravityjltration to remove the impurities,` thelatter soon foul the filter, and filters will not remove all theObjectionable materials., In any case, the greater or the heavier theimpurities, the greater the force pressure necessary to drive the liquidthrough a filter; and the greater the force employed and resistancethereto, the stronger must the device bein order to perform its worksuccessfully. These known conditions lven rise to the production of myimprove separator, now to be described.

The numeral 1 designates a casing,' pr/efv caps which close. 1ts ends asby being screwed thereon as shown, each cap by preference Patented sept.at, 191s.

having a threaded nipple through its center. v

In' Fig. 1 I have shown but a single casing connected up with an inletpipe 4 whereby `the liquid to be treated is admitted, passed through aT-coupling 5, and then through branches having valves 6 and 7 by whichit may be admitted to either end of said casing and the separatorscontained, within the same. The branches of the inlet pipe after passingthrough thevalves 6 and 7 are connected by T-couplings 8 and 9 with theopposite extremities of the casing in a manner to be described below;and the pipes 10 leading from the other side of said T-couplings may besaid to be branches of the outlet. branches pass respectively throughglobe valves 11 and 12, and then unite in a T-coupling 13 with the mainoutlet 14 in a i manner which will be clear.- While I have ings, it willbe clear that a gang of said casings 1 might be connected up by merelyamplifying the system of piping and the controlling valves therefor, solong as the direction of the fiow of the liquid to be treated througheach casing could be controlled at will. Said casings may be in seriesor in parallel. A

Disposed within each casing are two cylinders, whereof one is shown insection in Fig. 2. vThis is composed of a tube which may well be a pipe15 made, for example, of iron, of say two inches in diameter and sllttedor perforated as at 16, these perforations may consist of round holes,of about one sixteenth of an inch diameter,.said pipe being threaded atits upper end to receive an imperforated cap 17 by which this end isclosed, and having a long unperforated threaded lower end 18 which maybe connected by means of a coupling or union 19 with another shortsection of pipe or nipple 2O screwing into one of said-Tcouplings 8 or 9as seen in Fig. 1. There are two of these perforated pipes 15, arescrewed through the threaded nipples 3 of the caps on the casing, sothat their own caps 17 stand at about the mid-length of said casing andpreferably out of contact.

with each other as shown in Fig. 1. Disposed longitudinally upon theouter surface of, and soldered to said pipe 15, are wires 23, which mayvbe steel wires about threesiXteenths of an inch in diameter. 1n Fig. 4is shown the core thus built up, the numeral 24 designating the solderwhich l place by reference at the ends of the wires only so t at it willnot cover any of the perforations 16. Around the core thus constructed lWrap a sheet 25 of wire gauze of brass or copper, for example No. 40,having about forty meshes to the linear inch drawing it very tightly asit is wrappedand soldering its edge as seen at 26. Around the single orseveral separated convolutions of this gauze I wrap a helical retainingwire, for example a No. 18 steel wire, the successive convolutions beingalmost in contact with each other as seen at 27, and secure its ends inany suitable manner. The amplification of thel idea shown in Fig. 6merel contemplates additional wires 23 and layers of gauze 25 before thehelical retaining wire 27 is applied; and obviously `this type ofcylinder could be made on a larger scale and suba,y

jected to greater pressure or could be enr ployed with liquid whichcontains a high percentage of impurities. The size of the mesh in thewire cloth will depend in a measure on the liquid to be filtered and onthe number of convolutions or layers of said cloth which are woundaround the core.

The operation of this device is as follows: One or more of the casings,each with its pair of separating cylinders, being connected and theirlong threaded ends 18 up with the pipes as shown on Sheet 1 of thedrawings, the operator opens the valves 6 and 12 and closes the valves 7and 11; and then when the liquid is admitted through the inlet pipe 4Lit follows the course indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. It is to beunderstood that the oil is passed through this course under considerablepressure, say about 100 pounds per square inch. Pressure from theinterior will tend to open the meshes of the gauze and separate theconvolutions of the exterior will tend to close the same. As the oilenters the uppermost cylinder and passes from its interior outward intothe casing, and then passes from the latter inward into the bore of thelowermost cylinder shown in lFigfl, greater pressure is obviouslyrequired at the lower end of the device there illustrated, and thelowermost of the two separators therefore produces the chief resultsclaimed for this device. The original globules-or particles of oilingredients are minute drops contained or wrapped inl an asphalt coat orbody. By drivlng the oil through the separator under great pressure, adisintegration of the oil globules takes plape. The material then passesto a settling tan r.

The treated oil looks like the untreated oil, but if allowed to stand,the Water and some of the impurities will settle'out, more readily thanwould happen in the untreated oil. Without limiting myself to anyparticular time of settling, l will state that one week has been foundgenerally sufficient.

After settling, the oil and im urities will the retaining wire, whereaspressure vfrom not again resume the original orm or consistency of thecrude oil, but the several in gredients will remain in the settling tankin layers according to the specific gravity of each. The injuriousingredients that would otherwise accumulate in the stills and otherparts of the refining plant, are retained in the settling tank, and notin the separator. A small per cent. of certain impurities, such ascoarse particles of solid matter, might be retained in the separatorcylinders but it is the intentionl that substantially the whole mass isto pass through the separator and then be deposited ina tank forsettling purposes. 4

From crude oil several products are obtaiirudrlyfthe usual process ofrefining, viz:

gasolene,"illuminating oil, asphalt, etc.

certain gases. By the use of this improved separator the oil is treatedcold and all such gases as would he driven ofi' by heating are saved,the process of refining is hastened, the damages done to the stills andother machinery used in refining oil are prevented; results are producedmuch more cheaply than by other methods now in use; and the separator ismuch more convenient to use and less expensive to construct in the firstinstance, and saves certain oil products that are lost in processes nowused. p

I have purposely omitted any description of the theory of operation ofthis process, since I do not limit the invention to any particulartheory of operation.

said perforations and said gauze forming interstices throughA` which theoil is adapted to pass and whereby the oil globules are disintegrated.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence-of twosubscribing Wit- IIGSSBS.

- yJAMES R. TIMMINs.

Witnesses RLANDO SWAIN, R. E. GRIFFITH.

